KUALA LUMPUR, 18th August 2017 – Heineken® Star Serve returned this year to continue its search for Malaysia’s best bartender. Hosted by HEINEKEN Malaysia Star Academy, the Heineken® Star Serve National Finals 2017 recently witnessed eight of the finest bartenders going head to head to pour the perfect pint of Heineken® draught beer. Daimler Kenn Cagas from The Beer Factory in Kota Kinabalu was named Malaysia’s Hero of the Year and will be going on an all-expenses-paid trip to Amsterdam to explore the Heineken® Experience.

Now in its 4th year, the Heineken® Star Serve is a global quality programme that ensures Heineken® draught beer is a Perfect Pour served at its absolute best. Opened to all outlets nationwide, Star Academy saw 600 entries and only eight finalists were shortlisted after rigorous theoretical and practical assessments.

“Here at HEINEKEN Malaysia, we have a passion for beer that extends to all stages, from brewing to pouring to consumption. We take great pride in ensuring that all our customers have the best drinking experience possible, and those who serve Heineken® pay as much attention to the quality of the serve as we do brewing Heineken®. That said, pouring beer is an art – it is not just about precision and accuracy of the perfect serve of beer. It is the personality, charisma and quality that these professionals will be tested on,” said HEINEKEN Malaysia’s Managing Director, Hans Essaadi.

Standing under the spotlight with crowds of supporters cheering them on, pouring the perfect pint based on the five-step Heineken® Pouring Ritual proved no easy feat for these finalists. The five step ritual involves; the rinse, the pour, the skim, the check and the serve – all of which are vital in creating the perfect glass of Heineken® draught beer. The eight finalists had the opportunity to demonstrate their talent and understanding of those five steps as they attempted to pour the perfect glass of Heineken® draught beer within 4 minutes.

The final scores ended with a tie between Kenn and Richard Jugie from The Sarawak Club in Kuching. Both finalists faced off against each other for the final round of the pouring ritual challenge. Supported by the cheering and excitement from the enthusiastic audience, Kenn came out on top as the best pourer. The 28-year old bartender, who has been bartending for nine years, beat his opponents in the challenge with his positive vibes, charismatic demeanour, entertaining presentation with his pop and lock dance moves, and of course, his pouring precision.

“I had a blast perfecting the pouring and serving skills alongside all the finalists! It was a great experience to be part of the Heineken® Star Serve programme and I am thrilled to be travelling to Amsterdam,” said Kenn.

The panel of judges for the national finals were Malaysia’s Heineken® Draught Master, Gerard Anselm and Star Academy Trainer, Jonathan Chong. The judging criteria included mastering the perfect pint pouring skills and the ability to craft the perfect drinking experience with sophistication in that short period of time.

Star Academy aims to provide knowledge and improve the skillset of our local bartenders to develop their capabilities to world-class standards. This is to provide a better drinking experience to all our consumers and also recognise our bartenders’ passion and dedication to service excellence.

Malaysia won the World No. 2 bartender title in 2013 and bagged the first place at the Global Bartender Finals in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, last year. The 2017 Heineken® Global Bartender Final has been postponed until 2018 to allow for new and exciting programme developments. The Heineken® Global Bartender Final remains a key element of the Heineken® Star Serve program and will be back next year with additional elements to once again give bar staff an opportunity to show off their rinse, pour, skim, check and serve ritual to a global audience.

With the aim to share our passion for quality with our consumers, Heineken® will be at Trec, KL with its “Discover More Behind The Star” event where consumers can uncover the magic that goes behind each pint and learn how to pour one themselves. The event will be at 9pm – 1am daily on Thursday, 24 August until Saturday, 26 August 2017.